Wide receiver Collin Dixon caught two touchdown passes to break Illinois’s single-season receiving touchdowns record as the Fighting Illini defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 24-13 on Friday night at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The victory extended the winning streak for Illinois football to four straight games and secured the program’s third consecutive bowl appearance.
Dixon hauled in eight passes for 129 yards, scoring on receptions of 3 and 6 yards to lift his season total to 12 touchdown catches. According to University of Illinois Athletics, Dixon broke the school single-season record of 10 previously shared by Pat Bryant, Brandon Lloyd, and David Williams. His 12th touchdown of the year also gave him 17 career receiving touchdowns, putting him in sole possession of fifth place on the school’s all-time list behind Williams (24), Lloyd (21), Bryant (19), and A.J. Jenkins (19).
Quarterback Katin Houser completed 22 of 36 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, highlighted by a season-long 58-yard completion to Dixon in the fourth quarter. The 24 points and 292 passing yards were both the most allowed by Nebraska’s defense in 2026.
“I thought our defensive coaches took another step forward and did a lot of really good things,” Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said after the game. “Obviously, what Collin Dixon and Katin Houser continue to do offensively is very impressive.”
Houser credited Dixon for producing against tight coverage throughout the night. “They had a really good corner, and they mirrored him the entire game,” Houser said. “He still went for, I don’t know, 100-plus yards and two touchdowns.”
How the fake field goal turned the game
With the score tied 7-7 early in the third quarter, Illinois faced fourth-and-12 and lined up for a field goal attempt. Instead, punter and holder Lars Rau kept the snap on a fake field goal play called “Charlie Brown” and ran 29 yards to extend the drive. Three plays later, Houser connected with running back Jordan Anderson for a 5-yard go-ahead touchdown pass with 8:33 left in the third quarter.
“It worked because everyone did their part,” Rau said afterward, as reported by ESPN.
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule (spelled “Matt Ruhle” in the Associated Press wire recap) said his sideline had prepared for the fake, yet Illinois still converted it. “They called something aggressive, executed it, and made the play,” Rhule said.
Nebraska had opened the scoring early in the second quarter on a 10-play, 98-yard march capped by Mekhi Nelson’s 15-yard touchdown run on his lone carry of the night. Husker kicker John Hohl missed first-half field goal attempts from 54 and 45 yards, costing Nebraska six points. Late in the second quarter, after Illinois running back Javari Barnett was carted off the field with his injured left leg in an air cast, Dixon scrambled into the end zone on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Houser to break the school record and tie the score 7-7 at halftime.
On the third play of the fourth quarter, Dixon caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Houser to finish an eight-play, 74-yard drive and push the Illini lead to 21-7. Illinois kicker Ethan Moczulski later added a 21-yard field goal.
Key stats from Nebraska vs Illinois
According to HuskerMax, Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea totaled 311 yards of offense, completing 32 of 43 passes for 284 yards and adding 27 rushing yards. Colandrea threw a 51-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. (listed as “Jacory Brown Jr.” in the AP wire recap), who finished with six receptions for 93 yards. Running back Jamal Rule added 69 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Nebraska outgained Illinois 426 to 376 in total yardage and held the Illini to 84 rushing yards, marking the sixth time this season the Cornhuskers have held an opponent under 100 yards on the ground. However, Illinois strung together scoring drives of 73, 75, 74, and 76 yards. On defense, Illinois linebacker Matthew Bailey led all players with 11 total tackles, a forced fumble, and half a sack, while Mason Muragin notched his first collegiate sack and Joe Barna added half a sack.
“I know everyone is frustrated, but when you look at the game, it was a good one for a long time,” Rhule said. “We just needed to make a couple more plays.”
What the result means for Big Ten bowl races
As background, Illinois (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) dropped early-season home games to Duke and Purdue (24-17 on Oct. 3) along with a road loss at No. 7 Ohio State (42-19 on Sept. 26). Since then, the Illini have beaten Michigan State (38-37 in overtime), No. 25 Oregon (21-10), Maryland (20-17), and Nebraska (24-13). Only UCLA (5-0) holds a longer active Big Ten winning streak. Illinois is now bowl eligible for a third straight season for the first time since 1992, and Bielema noted after the game that “a 9-3 team can get into the playoffs.”
Nebraska (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) opened the 2026 campaign 5-0 for the first time since 2016 before dropping three consecutive games by a combined 13 points after holding a fourth-quarter lead in each contest. Friday’s defeat extended the losing streak to four games and left the Huskers needing one win in their final three games to reach bowl eligibility. Nebraska still leads the all-time series against Illinois 14-8-1, including a 5-4-1 mark in Champaign.
Next up, Illinois travels to Los Angeles to face No. 5 UCLA on Friday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. CT on FOX, before closing the regular season against No. 21 Iowa on Nov. 21 and at Northwestern on Nov. 28. Nebraska travels to play Rutgers on Saturday, Nov. 14.